Between all the mining and crafting, Minecraft leaves a lot of time & space for players to explore the world and get to know its various hostile and passive creatures. Among these mobs are the game's mobs which can be tamed to act as mounts, protectors or simply as pets.

However, taming a mob is no simple task. More often than not, players will need the right items and a pinch of luck to win over an animal's trust. Some mobs are also incredibly hard to find, making them quite a rarity. Here's how to tame the best mobs in the game.

Updated on July 5th, 2021 by Anastasia Maillot: This year is a very exciting one for Minecraft fans because of a massive two-part update that introduces immense terrain generation changes for the game. Updates of this kind haven't happened to this scale for a long time, which is why it's worth waiting for the Caves and Cliffs full update.

For now, however, players will have to be satisfied with the first half of Caves and Cliffs, which introduced a couple of new mobs. One of them, in particular, brought in some new gameplay mechanics and features and can be tamed to a degree. Here's what you need to know about the new Axolotl mob.

11/11 Axolotls

Minecraft Axolotl
  • Biome: Any dark ocean or body of water
  • Food: Bucket of Tropical Fish

Axolotls were added into the game as a way to spread awareness over this nearly extinct species of water-loving lizards. Axolotls spawn in dark waters, and although they can survive on land for some time, they definitely prefer the depths of oceans and any large bodies of water.

Axolotls are predators. They'll attack any other ocean-dwelling mob except for dolphins. They're very useful allies against Guardians and Elder Guardians inside ocean monuments and can be led using a lead made from string and slime balls. They can also be bred with a bucket of tropical fish, but axolotls can't fully be tamed in Minecraft . Just beware: axolotls can be slain by pufferfish.

10/11 Horses

  • Biome: Plains
  • Food: Golden Carrots, Golden Apples, Sugar, Wheat, Apple, Hay Bale

The bread and butter of tamed animals is definitely the horse. What sets this one apart from others is the incredible travel time it brings along, provided the player picks out the fastest horse of the bunch. Head over to a nearby plains biome, as those tend to be the best locations to find horses.

Horses differ from donkeys and mules in that they can't actually carry items. They're used purely for travel, and traveling great distances is a vital part of gameplay. To tame a horse in Minecraft, right-click on it with an empty hand to mount it until hearts appear above its head. Do this until the horse stops kicking.

9/11 Ocelot

Minecraft Ocelot
  • Biome: Jungle
  • Food: Raw Salmon, Raw Cod

The ocelot is one of the hardest animals to tame in the game, mainly because it's such a rare one to find in the wilds. In order to come across one the player first needs to find a jungle biome, which is the ideal spawn location for these elusive feline friends.

In order to tame an ocelot in Minecraft get some raw salmon or raw cod and approach them slowly while holding the fish in their hand. Feed as much fish as needed to the ocelot, until tiny hearts appear above its head.

8/11 Wolf

  • Biome: Forest (all variants)
  • Food: Bone, Meats (all variants)

Wolves are probably the most common mob, and therefore an easy one to tame for players. All sorts of forests will usually have a pack of them wandering around, although colder forest biomes have a higher rate of spawning for wolves in general.

Wolves can be tamed using a bone. Even if wolves can be fed meat while still feral, they won't actually be tamed this way. In order to tame a wolf in Minecraft, feed a wolf bones until tiny hearts appear above its head, which will prompt its face to change. A collar will also appear, which can be dyed any of the colors available in the game.

7/11 Skeleton Horse

  • Biome: Any
  • Food: Cannot be bred or fed

Want to be the talk of the server and the envy of all other Minecraft players? In that case, boasting a Skeleton Horse is the best way to go. This mount is no doubt the coolest-looking one in the game, simply because of its sheer, bony appearance.

These creatures only spawn during thunderstorms and are usually accompanied by skeletons, which must be first killed before the horse can be tamed. After their previous owners are dealt with, right click on the skeleton horse with an empty hand and hop on its back several times until tiny hearts appear above its head.

6/11 Parrot

Minecraft Parrots
  • Biome: Jungle
  • Food: Wheat Seeds

Players who come across a jungle biome in their world are particularly lucky, not only because of ocelots but also because of parrots. These little birds have the ability to mimic other mobs, which might be a frightening experience, but also incredibly cool.

Parrots come in a variety of colors, and they can be tamed with regular seeds. To tame a parrot in Minecraft hold a seed in the right hand and right-click on a parrot until tiny hearts appear above its head. The parrot will likely land on the player's shoulder as well when tamed, which makes for a cool effect.

5/11 Fox

  • Biome: Taiga and its variants
  • Food: Sweet Berries, Glow Berries

Foxes are super unique mobs due to their ability to carry items in their mouths. They also curl up to sleep and can move quickly through sweet berry bushes. However, they sprint quite fast and are exclusive to cold forest biomes like taigas, making them a difficult mob to catch and tame.

Adult foxes cannot be tamed in Minecraft, but they can be bred using sweet berries. The baby fox produced will then trust the player, and a lead should be used to pull it away from its parents and to stop it from following them rather than the player themselves. The challenge here is actually catching two adult foxes.

4/11 Mule

  • Biome: Plains
  • Food: Golden Carrot, Golden Apple, Sugar, Wheat, Apple, Hay Bale

Those wondering what the difference between a mule and a donkey is, this mob is basically the result of a donkey and horse being bred. They're a tricky mob to have due not being able to breed with other mules, but they still make for great carriers and decent mounts.

Mules can be distinguished by their typically brown coloring in the wild, which sets them apart from donkeys. With an empty hand, right-click on the mule to get on its back to tame it. At first, it will kick the player off multiple times, but continue doing this and eventually it should have a little heart icon above its head to show it's tamed.

3/11 Donkey

  • Biome: Plains
  • Food: Golden Carrot, Golden Apple, Sugar, Wheat, Apple, Hay Bale

Donkeys are not fantastic mounts since they all have the same movement speed when ridden, but they are great for storing items and being pulled with a lead. In the wild, they're also easy to recognize and much like mules and horses will tend to spawn in plains biomes.

In order to tame a donkey Minecraft, right-click on it with an empty hand to mount it. Keep doing this until it no longer kicks, and tiny hearts appear above its head.

2/11 Llama

  • Biome: Savanna, Mountains
  • Food: Wheat, Hay Bale

Llamas are perhaps the worst mount in the game, but what they are really useful for is storage. Not just that, many players like to use different colored carpets on their llamas in order to color code their storage in an easy way. To find them, head over to a savanna or mountain biome.

Llamas must be handled with care, due to their ability to attack the player by spitting on them. To tame a llama, right-click them with an empty hand and mount them until they no longer kick and tiny heart icons appear. Keep in mind, again, that llamas can only be lead and used for storage, and riding them is impossible.

1/11 Cat (Village Stray Variant)

  • Biome: Any biome where a village can spawn
  • Food: Raw Cod, Raw Salmon

Although ocelots are the original way of getting a cat in the game, stray cats are an easier and more interesting way to get a good variety of different cats easily. Head over to any nearby village, as those are hotspots for stray cats to wander around.

Stray cats will always be afraid of players and quickly run away. However, if approached with raw cod or salmon in hand, they will slowly get closer to the player. Feed the cat raw cod or salmon enough times to tame it until hearts appear above its head.

NEXT: Minecraft: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Ender Dragon